Improved machine for binding grain



1. F. BLACK.

Gravin-Binder.

N0.` 18,231. Patented Sept. 22, 1857.

N REYES. PHOTQLATHOGRAPHER, WASHKNGTON. D. c.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH F. BLACK, OF LANCASTER, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVED MACHINE POR BINDING GRAIN.

Specification forming part 0f Letlers Patent No. 18,231, dated September22, 1 857.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J. F. BLACK, ofLancaster, in the county of Cass and State ot' Illinois, have invented anew and useful Machine for Binding Grain into Sheaves; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference-being had to the annexed drawings, making a partot'this specification, in which- -Figure 1 is a side view of myimprovement, the framing of the same being bisected, as indicated by theline .t fr, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same, taken inthe lineg/y, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a detached section ot' the gearing of thedriving device, e e, Fig. 1, indicating the plane of section.

Similar letters ot' reference indicate` corresponding parts in theseveral figures.

This invention consists in arranging a certain number of parts in anovel way, so that said parts will, when in operation and a requisiteamount of grain presented to it, bind said grain into a sheaf in aperfect and expeditious manner, the device or machine requiring but asingle attendant.

This machine is designed to be attached to a reaper or harvester, and tobind the grain into sheaves as fast as it is cnt.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct myinvention, l will proceed to describe it.

A represents a rectan gular frame, constructed of wood, and attached tothe hack part of a reaper in any convenient manner. B is thedriving-shaft, which is placed longitudinally in the lower part of theframe. On this shaft there is placed a pinion, a., a part or semipinion, l), with cam c attached to its inner side, a tappet, d, and twocams, e f. The pinion a gears into a corresponding pinion, g, on ashaft, C, which is also placed in the lower part of the frame A,parallel with shaft B. On the shaft C two cams, h i, are placed, thesecams corresponding Vin form to the cams ef,- but they 'are placed ontheir shaft in a position reverse to that of the cams e f on their shaftB--that is, the cams e h on the shafts B C face or are opposite eachother, as also are the cams j' t', and the cams that face each other arenot similar in form, but those are that are placed diagonally with eachother. For instance, the cams e are of similar form,

and the cams f h are of similar form. The cams e i are com pound-that isto say, they are quadrants having aradial projection, al, at one side,and these projections serve the ottice of-cams as well as the quadrantportion, as will be hereinafter shown. The canisf h are simply bars oftaper form, and are frequently termed tappets. l) is a small shaftplaced in the lower part of the frame A, and having a pinion, j, on it.The shaft I) has a projection, k, formed on it, and a projection, l, ona spring, E, catches at certain times against said projection k, as willbe presently shown. The piuionj is in line with the semi-pinion b. F Frepresent two curved arms, which are attached to a shaft, Cr, at thelower part of the frame A. The inner ends of one of these arms has aprojection, m, attached at right angles to it. H is a shaft placed onthe lower part of the frame. This shaft has four semicircular arms, l IJ J, placed loosely upon it, said arms, when raised so that their outerends will bc in contact, forming two concentric circles, as shown inFig. 2, the arms I I being somewhat larger than the arms J J. The outerends of the arms I have springs a attached. These springs are merely latplates of steel attached to the sides of the arms. Each arm has aprojection, o, at its lower end. To the outer end of the shaft I) acrank-pulley, K, is attached, and L is a connecting-rod, the lower endof which is attached to the pulley K, the upper end being attached to alever, M, which has its fulcrum, at p, in the frame A. The lever M isconnected, by a rod, g, with aframe, N, which is fitted to verticalguiderods r r, said rods r being attached at the upper parts to a block,s, which is pivoted to the frame Ayas shown at s. The outer end of thelever M is connected by a rod, t, with a vertical slide, O, which isplaced by the side of one of the guiderods r. The lower part of thisslide has an inclined or wedgeshaped projection, P, attached to it, asshown clearly in Fig. 1. In

the frame N a vertical shaft, Q, is placed, said shaft having ahook-shaped projection, u, at its lower end. A similar projection, t, isformed at the lower end of a bar, w, the upper end of which is pivotedin the shaft Q, as shown at cx, Fig. 1. The upper end of the bar w ispivoted to a vertical sliding bar, It, which is'tltted in a longitudinalgroove in shaft Q.

The upper end of the bar It passes through a loop at the lower end of abar, S, and a pin, dx, passes through. the upper end of bar It, securingit to bar S, the upper part of It being cylindrical, and allowed to turnfreely in the loop. T is a spring, one end ot' which is at tached to theframe A, and the other projects beyond the bar S. This spring also has alever, e", formed-on it, and an incline plane, fx, is attached to one ofthe guide-rods r of the frame N. A bevel-wheel, gx, is placed on theupper end ofthe shaft Q, and this wheel gears into acorresponding wheel,hx, on one end of a horizontal shaft, U, in the frame N. The

" shaft U has a pinion, ix, on its Yopposite end,

thepinion fix gearing into a rack, jx, attached to one of the guide-rodsr of the frame N.

The operation is as follows: The attendant is seated in the lower partof the frame A, convenient to the arms I I J J. The attendant places theends of a band of straw, 1, between the springs n and the ends of thearms I, said arms, as well as the arms J J, beingin an open or distendedstate. A quantity of grain is passed from the platform of the rcaper byany proper mechanical means, or by hand, and placed within or betweenthe inner arms J J and upon the bands, the ends of which are secured atthe ends of the arms I I.

It will be understood that motion is given` the shaft B in any propermanner from the driving-wheel of the reaper, and just at the time thegrain is deposited between the arms. The cams e 'i strike simultaneouslythe projections o at the lower parts of the arms, the radial projectionsaX ot' said cams acting against the projections o ofthe arms I I, andthe quadrant portions against the projections o of the arms J J. Thearms I I J J will be closed, their upper ends coming in'contact withcach other, (see Fig. 2,) and drawing the grain into a bundle or sheaf.Just as the ends of the arms I I J J come in contact, the cam c raisesthe spring E, and theprojection l on the spring is thrown free from theprojection 7c on the shaft D. Said shaft being now at liberty to turn,the front pinion b gears into it, and the shaft D is rotated, thecrank-pulley K operating the rod L, which forces down the frame N. Asthe frame N descends, the ends of the straw band 1 are caught betweenthe two hooks u e, which are in fact clamps. The ends of the bands arecaught in consequence of the movement of the hook t, which, as the frameN descends, is forced against the hook'u. In consequence of the rod Sbeing retained vby the spring T, a projection, t, on the rod S beingover the spring, as the hooks u v grasp the ends of the straw band, theyare then rotated, and the end of the band is twisted, the hooks beingrotated in consequence of the gearing gx, hx, and ix, the latter workinginto the rack j". As the hooks u e descend, they are moved laterally, sothat they will not come in contact with the arms, the hooks being movedat one side, in consequence of the depression of the inclined plane orwedge P by the lever M. A spring, 2, which bears 'against one of theguiderods r, throws the rods at one side, the crosspiece s, it` beingunderstood, working on the pivot s. The arms I I, when the band l isgrasped, drop back or are forced back by the cams f h, the radialprojections a* having passed the projections o of said arms; and afterthe band is twisted, the frame N, having descended toits lowest point,commences to move upward, and the inclined plane l? is forced upward,and moves the rods 1' 1^ and frame N inward or back to a. verticalposition, and in so doing the ends of the hooks tuck or pass the twistedends of the band underneath the band. (See Figs. l and 2.) At this movevmeut the arms J J are distended by their own gravity. The quadrantportions of the cams e i having passed their projections o at theirlower ends, the bend eX is thrown free from the projection tX on the rodS by the inclined plane fx, and the hooks open, and the tappet d on theshaft B strikes the'projection m at the lower end of one of the arms Fon shaft G, and both arms will be thrown upward and the bound sheaf castupon the ground. At this time the frame N will be at its culminatingpoint, and .both pairs of arms, I I J J, ready to receive a freshquantity of grain for the succeeding operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

The` combination of the arms I I J J and hooks or clamps u c,constructed and arranged to operate conjointly, as and for the purposeset forth.

Witnesses: JOSEPH F. BLACK.

GEORGE A. BEARD,

J F. BERGEN.

